Precisely Adjusting Table Column Widths

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated October 29, 2014)

1

You can, if you desire, adjust the width of table columns by using the mouse. (Just click on the column dividing line and drag it one way or the other.) If you want to adjust the size of table columns so they are precise, it's pretty hard to do using the mouse. You can precisely adjust column width by following these steps:

  1. Select the column whose width you want to change.
  2. Display Layout tab of the Ribbon.
  3. Click the Properties option in the Table group. Word displays the Table Properties dialog box.
  4. Make sure the Column tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The Column tab of the Table Properties dialog box.

  5. Using the Preferred Width control, set the column width as desired.
  6. Use the Previous Column or Next Column buttons, as desired, to select other columns.
  7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have set all the column widths desired.
  8. Click on OK to close the Table Properties dialog box.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5928) applies to Microsoft Word 2007.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Entering Many Items In a Drop-Down Form Field

One of the controls you can add to a Word form is a drop-down form field. This field is similar to drop-down lists used in ...

Discover More

Date Last Edited

When adding headers or footers to your worksheets, you may want to include the date that the workbook was last edited. Excel ...

Discover More

Column Formatting Based On a Filter

When working with filtered data, you may want to specially format a column that has a filter applied to it. Here are a couple ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Copying Rows and Columns with the Mouse

Word allows you to do quite a few editing tasks using the mouse. If you want to copy rows or columns in a table, you can use ...

Discover More

Resizing Table Columns with the Mouse

Once a table is inserted in your document, you can use the mouse to adjust the width of columns. The effect the mouse pointer ...

Discover More

Changing Column Width

Do you use columns in your document layout? You may want to modify the widths of various columns, and Word makes the change ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 0?

2016-09-07 14:15:27

cmm912

FYI, this does not work for Windows 2013

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.